1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to building foundation renovation and more particularly to locating and positioning a jack used for installing pilings underneath a foundation for shoring purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that many buildings and other structures are built on foundations that over time become unlevel for a variety of reasons and, therefore, require shoring. Also well known is the fact that existing foundations remain level to prevent foundation damage and damage to the structures built on them. So, in many instances, shoring of foundations is often performed to prevent potential damage from occurring or to minimize the effects of incipient damage, as well as to restore or repair faulty foundations to their original condition.
Foundation rehabilitation or restoration can be conducted using many different procedures. However, one of the most successful procedures involves excavating or partially excavating underneath the grade beams that need to be supported or raised, placing a piling section in the excavated cavity underneath the grade beam, placing a construction jack between the grade beam and the piling section, and then operating such jack by hydraulic or pneumatic action to force the piling section downward into the ground while supporting the grade beam. Once the piling section is driven sufficiently into the ground so that its top is flush with the bottom of the excavated area, then another piling section is put in place on top of the previous piling section and the jack is reactivated.
Eventually, either the piling made up of the piling sections will either hit bedrock or the ground underneath and surrounding the piling will become so compacted as to make further piling section additions unnecessary. Of course, once the piling is sufficiently firm and stable, then it is possible to reverse the jack driving action to raise the grade beam, if necessary.
In the procedure just described, it is crucial that the piling sections be driven into the ground in a vertical manner. A foundation supported by a non-vertical piling is not supported properly and may actually later shift or cause the piling to shift, which would result in potential damage that would not have occurred except for the nonvertically aligned piling. The piling sections are driven in vertically when guided by a vertically aligned jack; however, when the jack is not vertically aligned, then the piling sections are not driven in vertically.
When the jack is just placed next to the underneath surface of the grade beam, there is a real possibility that the jack will not be vertically aligned or remain vertically aligned during the pile driving operation. This is because the grade beam surface may not be horizontal or it may have sufficient imperfections in it that it will not provide a stable horizontal base or platform against which work can be performed. The driving of the piling results in vibrations and such vibrations can either cause the jack to move around on the surface of the grade beam or even result in some crumbling of the grade beam surface. Crumbling of the surface will, of course, raise further possibilities of the surface being other than level or horizontal with respect to the top surface of the jack. The prior art procedures employed shims to accomplish a horizontal platform. But, vibrations even cause shims to reposition and to become non-horizontal and sometimes even unstable.
Jacks, however, can be attached to the grade beam so as to prevent relative movement therebetween. However, clamping to a grade beam surface will not result in a vertically aligned jack when the surfaces of the grade beam against which clamping is performed are not horizontal or vertical to begin with. Further, when a metal jack is clamped adjacent a concrete surface, crumbling problems can still occur, as described above. Moreover, the procedure previously described involving driving of one piling section after another, requires the jack to be collapsed and relocated on top of each successive section. When a jack is installed too permanently with respect to the grade beam, it is very time consuming to disconnect and reinstall it using shims or the like to insure a level, horizontal structure each time in order to position another piling section preliminary to driving it in.
Therefore, a feature of the present invention is to provide an improved clamp for attaching to a grade beam or other foundation structure for holding a jack in a vertically aligned position, regardless of the level nature of the grade beam surfaces or any irregular contours or other conditions of such surfaces.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide an improved hanging jack clamp that can be positioned and held in at least a semi-permanent manner with some holding means providing leveling adjustment in multiple directions to assure vertical alignment of the jack regardless of the condition of the member to which the clamp is attached.
It is still another feature of the present invention to provide an improved hanging jack clamp with built-in level indicators and adjustment provisions to assure vertical alignment of the jack hanging therefrom at all times.
It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide an improved hanging jack clamp having provisions for assuring the vertical alignment of the hanging jack attached thereto, the connection or attachment provisions being of a quick-disconnect nature to permit rapid removal and reconnection of the hanging jack during its use without interfering with the level adjustments.